Lydney Park is a 17th century country
estate surrounding Lydney House, located at Lydney in the Forest of Dean in the English county of Gloucestershire. It is known for its gardens and Roman temple complex.
Gardens
The gardens of the Victorian Lydney House cover some eight acres and date from
the 20th century. There is a woodland garden running along a secluded valley, planted with
magnolias, rhododendrons, azaleas and other flowering shrubs. There is a paved terrace above and formal gardens which are popular
in the Spring, when the daffodils bloom.
Roman temple
The area has an early Iron Age promontory fort,
known as Lydney Camp, covering 4.5 acres. The Romans used the site, until the early 4th
century, for the extraction of iron ore. Open-cast iron mines, or scowles, and tunnels still exist throughout the hill.
In the late 4th century, the Romans built a temple to Nodens,
a Celtic divinity who is reflected by the later figures of Nuada and Nudd alias Lludd in Irish and Welsh mythology respectively. Lludd's name survives in the placename,
Lydney. Several model dog images have been found there, indicating it was a healing shrine.
The structure was a cross between a basilica and the usual Romano-British style temple. The walls of the sanctuary or cella were arched colonnades
until a fault in the rock below caused the almost total collapse of the temple. It was rebuilt with solid walls to the cella.
There was a fish-covered mosaic with an inscription that referred to Victorinus the Interpreter,
probably an interpreter of dreams. the temple was accompanied by a large courtyard
pilgrims' hostel and elaborate bath suite.
Tolkien associations
There is a legend that after about 20 years of the Romans leaving, the indigenous peoples forgot the Romans had settled there
and began to believe the ruins were the home to dwarves, hobgoblins and little people.[1] The
site was excavated by Sir Mortimer Wheeler in the 1920s.
The author of The Lord of the Rings novel, J. R. R. Tolkien, was part of the excavation team and he is said to have been influenced by such folk
tales which he used to develop his stories of Middle-earth. He wrote a report,
The Name 'Nodens', following the excavation.
References
- Wheeler, R.E.M. & T.V. (1932) Report on the excavation of the prehistoric, Roman and post-Roman site in Lydney Park,
Gloucestershire. Oxford.
Footnotes
External links
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